CB Greg Newsome II(12.13.23)
Do you think you’ll get Denzel (Ward) back this week?
“That’s the goal, obviously. I said it him after the game last week. Just seeing how hard he’s worked to get back, so definitely getting him back would definitely give us a boost for sure.”
Hey, Greg, when you watch (Justin) Fields, what really jumps out?
“He’s a great player. I think he gets a lot of critique from the media and things like that, but he’s a great player. I’ve been playing him since college. He can make every single throw, has a strong arm. He runs like a running back. He kind of reminds me of like Cam Newton’s style of being able to be a physical runner, but can also make a bunch of throws. So I think he definitely gets a lot of critique, but I think he’s also a great young player, too.”
Does that help you when you’re prepping for a quarterback, when you’re facing a guy that you got to see in college?
“Oh, for sure. Just being able to get some extra reps on him, knowing what he likes, knowing what he doesn’t like and just seeing the evolution from him in college is also fun to watch as well.”
D.J. Moore is putting up some numbers, what makes him so tough?
“He can run every single route. He’s kind of built like a Deebo where he’s like real stocky. Then he also can run great routes as well. So he’s definitely a guy that makes a lot of his plays after the catch as well. So we have to do a great job tackling him when he does get some catches.”
Greg, you guys have been so good defensively at home specifically. After Sunday’s game, does that help because you guys got back to where you were and the success you have been having?
“For sure. I say it all the time, the home crowd is our twelfth man. They do so much for us out there and it was definitely great to get back out there after losing two straight, to get out there and get in front of the home crowd and just feel the energy that they brought and we’re hoping they bring that again this Sunday.”
How are you guys as a secondary moving off of that win, trying to ride that momentum but also staying grounded and focused on that goal of 1-0 every week?
“Yeah, we’re never complacent and the thing we expect to make those plays and things like that,. Games that we’re playing very well, we expect to do that. So it’s easy to move on to the next game when you’re expected and we’re forced to make those plays and play well. So it’s easy to just move on to the next one and try to go 1-0 the next week.
What’s it been like to be able to watch just the development of MJ Emerson? You have the front row seat to it. He had a couple rough moments on the road trip, but he comes back out and has a game he had on Sunday. What’s that like for you?
“Oh, it’s amazing. Just even from last year, just seeing him just evolve and become like a number one corner. It’s amazing to see. We expect that out of him each and every week. Like we said, man, there’s going to be games where I won’t play well, he won’t play well, but the ability to be resilient and bounce back and make a Hall of Fame type of performance last week was just amazing to see.”
It looks like you might not have Grant Delpit. What does that do to you guys?
“Man, Grant does a lot for us. Obviously, with the contract extension, that already shows you what everybody in the building feels about him and that shows you what we feel about him. He’s a hard nosed player. He sets the tone for us, especially with his physicality, his leadership. So just hoping we get him back out there, too.”
You finish the game with a couple of real young safeties back there. First of all, how do you think they played and how does that affect what you guys do as a defense moving on?
“I thought they played amazing. I mean, just singling first on Ronnie Hickman, like you guys seen it out there, he made a crucial stop. He’s playing physical, playing very instinctive. And whoever’s out there, obviously missing guys like Juan (Thornhill), who wasn’t able to play out there, and Grant and then ride obviously out for the season, that’s a big toll on us. But when you got young guys that have been learning from those vets and when their opportunity came, they rose up to the challenge.”
Playing in a defensive backfield because of the way the rulebook is written, the way the game is officiated these days, why have you guys been able to be, I guess, as aggressive and successful with your aggressiveness without hurting the team?
“Yeah, we know some of those calls are 50/50. Some of them won’t go our way. But Coach (Jim) Schwartz literally tells us be physical. First down, obviously, on crucial downs, you got to play a little bit on third downs where if you do get a holding penalty, they’ll get a first down. But on those first downs, you got to set the tone. So you set the tone early, and then later in the game, the refs, they might give you some of them later in the game. So we just try to set the tone early with the physicality.”
How proud are you of the way you bounce back after that Denver game, which probably wasn’t your best, but then you come back and have these last two games?
“I mean, I’m definitely proud of myself. Like I said, corners, you know, it’s the toughest position in sports and sometimes you get beat. That’s fine. But I know what type of player I am. My teammates know what type of player I am. So I wasn’t really too worried about that type of performance because they knew that I bounced back. Coach Schwartz told me after the game in the meeting in front of the whole defense, like, ‘Greg probably didn’t play his best game, but he’ll bounce back.’ He wasn’t worried about that. So definitely proud of myself. But I mean, that’s what I expect out of myself.”
It looks like the Bears run a ton of receiver screens, right? So does that challenge you guys as corners that come up?
“For sure. Like we say every week, this has got to be our best tackling week. Definitely at the corner position. D.J. Moore, great receiver. Yards after the catch is what he specializes in, so we have to do a great job in containing him after the catch.”
Greg, you guys have obviously had a next man up mentality all season, but as you go through so many different injuries and guys coming in and different faces kind of week to week, just what are those conversations like that have made you guys so successful at communicating? Like, this is what we’re looking for, this is what we’re trying to do. How has it been sort of almost flawless throughout the most of the season, even when guys are kind of filling it?
“Yeah, I think it’s just the belief. I mean, teams always say next man up, but who actually truly believes in the next man up? We actually believe in our guys. As you can see, when Ronnie was out there playing, D (D’Anthony) Bell was out there playing. We didn’t change the scheme. We’re not going to run something else just to cater to them. No, they’re ball players as well, so we trust in our guys. I think that’s the biggest difference.”
Have you gotten to know Joe Flacco at all the last few weeks that he’s been here?
“Kind of. He’s kind of by me, like in the locker room, but didn’t really get to know him too much. But he’s been doing great for us.”
He’s the story at the top. What’s he kind of the hope he’s provided or kind of calming things down? How would you describe his influence?
“Yeah, just a leader who’s been there and done it all. Gotten teams to the playoffs. Just the poise he plays with, the ability to, if he makes a mistake, being able to bounce back and just all that positive vibes he brings to this organization.”
There’s been so much more shown of Kevin (Stefanski) as the head coach, what influences he had on you guys, and how has his, I guess, non emotional reaction to most things, especially the negative stuff, benefited you guys as a team?
“Players coach. That’s the biggest thing I can say. Whether someone makes a mistake or not, he always takes it on himself and things like that. So just being the ultimate players coach, trusting in us to go out there and make plays, just everything. He gets a lot of scrutiny in the media as well. But for us to be down so much and for guys to keep stepping up, he’s done an amazing job for us.”
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